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parking sensor retrofit not ready yet but...

parking sensor retrofit not ready yet but...

I got an email from ownership experience that says they are trying to assess customer interest in this. So if you are interested let them know. Evidently they are keeping track of who responds.

Updated 10/28

If all you read is this, then know that TMC has decided not to offer this as an upgrade/retrofit. They say the cost is about $6K. I have heard all sorts of reasons for this from you have to replace the bumper to you have to replace the system console computer. Not sure what to believe except that they are not going to offer it.

ChasF |
21 settembre 2013

PDC?

amish.bhatia |
21 settembre 2013

Parking Sensors

ChasF |
21 settembre 2013

Thanks

pylt |
21 settembre 2013

SIGN ME UP PLEASE!

Frankly, this should have been available from the first car as it's not new tech by any stretch of the imagination.

J.T. |
21 settembre 2013

@pylt There is not one item on the software wish list that is new tech. It's all just stuff they couldn't get to because they were busy building the most incredible and safest car in the world and they wanted to start selling it while we were all still alive.
I sense that every time they enable new features, rear guidelines, fob designated driver settings, better audio content managing, etc., someone will always say that they should have had it from the start. And sometimes, I'll be that person.

earlyretirement |
21 settembre 2013

It's not going to be cheap. The VP told me ahead of time it won't be cheap or easy. It sounded like it was going to cost several thousands of dollars to retrofit it.

David Trushin |
21 settembre 2013

I don't know where i got that abbreviation. It is the parking sensors. Or proximity detection. You should call or send email through the contact us page. I heard back from Peter Welch. I think it's best to find out what they will offer it for, and then quibble about the price. I'm sure that their concern on this is the precedent that they are going to set. For my part, this feature and proximity lines on the camera are must have's. They affect me right now and also affect the resale value.

SamO |
21 settembre 2013

This shouldn't be expensive (although it will likely be). Some owners have purchased after-market proximity sensor and they aren't expensive.

$500 for factory installation should mean no more than $1500 for after-market even if they have to remove and drill the bumpers.

eddiemoy |
21 settembre 2013

i'm interested.

GaryREM.va.us |
21 settembre 2013

@david For a time it was referred to as Park Distance Control if I recall correctly.

T3SLA |
21 settembre 2013

I expect Tesla will want to make good money off this retrofit; otherwise, it won't be worth it to them. I won't expect it to be less than 1500. I'd love to see the sensors and wiring sold that integrates into the computer. I can do my own installation or hire someone to do it. (Yes, I know this won't happen either.)

David Trushin |
21 settembre 2013

I don't see this as a money maker for Tesla. Say they've delivered 15K cars without. Some people just don't want it, some will not get it because of the price, and some already installed their own. I would guess that at most, 5000 would be sold and probably fewer. I view it more as a goodwill item for those who bought the car early and contributed to the current success. That would mean more than a profit on it. However, no matter what happens, some people are going to be PO'd. But let's face it, I agree that $1500 ought to be the highest they charge.

elguapo |
21 settembre 2013

Ownership told me they'd be out with pricing/logistics by the end of the month. On TMC, some people have said they were told it would be much greater than $1,500 as it is a lot of work. All wild speculation and, given the push to deliver more MS, the SC buildout and Model X, probably not at the top of Tesla's list. After all, they've already delivered any car that would be retrofitted. With the end of year push, I think we will have to wait a long time for retrofit info. I hope I am wrong.

romainiacWV |
21 settembre 2013

Not interested in PDC but would love some fog lights!

rfriess |
21 settembre 2013

I'm interested in the parking sensors as long as the cost is anywhere near reasonable.

Bob

AmpedRealtor |
21 settembre 2013

My local service center pretty much told me not to hold my breath for parking sensors because they would have to order the bumpers from Fremont and it would be a very costly affair. However, in the case of fog lights, they are integrated into the entire part that contains the cornering lights. Getting fog lights should be a very easy matter of ordering two new cornering light assemblies w/ fog lights. The hookups are already there and the software will recognize them.

I would probably bet that fog lights would be made available as a retrofit (least cost/effort - just swap parts) while parking sensors will not be made available due to the logistics and the number of things that can go wrong - bumpers may not match color perfectly, may get damaged in transit, etc.

Roamer@AZ USA |
21 settembre 2013

I would retrofit.

Roamer@AZ USA |
21 settembre 2013

Amped,
Bumper change out is an interesting idea. My wife backed our Nissan leaf into our Tesla in the driveway. The Leaf looked like a garbage truck had attacked it. The Tesla is damaged but you really have to look to see the damage. Tesla won. Leaf left rear corner and Tesla right front corner.

Maybe the upside is a new front can be an upgrade. Always looking for the upside.

Because of this I had to order a P85+. November delivery then the S85 can go in for repairs. Another upside.

His and hers and the Leafs get passed on to other family members.

2-Star |
21 settembre 2013

Any chance Tesla will offer the PDC as an option for the front bumper only? For me, the camera is enough for the rear. Or might there be a front camera instead of PDC?

SDR06 |
21 settembre 2013

I am definitely interested.

I have been calling them and asking them at least once a month.

mortgagebruce |
21 settembre 2013

We know Tesla monitors these boards so there is no way they don't know that owners want this.

Thumper |
21 settembre 2013

+1 for VERY interested in parking sensors. Judging where the front of the car is is difficult for me. I'm OK in the back with just the camera.

phat78boy |
21 settembre 2013

I've emailed and asked myself, they have to know there is demand for this option. I also am interested in the fog light option as well.

AmpedRealtor |
21 settembre 2013

I would actually prefer a front camera to parking sensors. They could add a 2nd camera feed on the big 17" display, underneath the backup display, to show you both sides of the vehicle. That would be a unique feature not offered on most other cars.

JPPTM |
21 settembre 2013

I've asked to be put on the list....still waiting.

simplesolarinc |
21 settembre 2013

I would rather have cameras than sensors as well. There is definitely enough space on the 17" display to do both.

rfriess |
21 settembre 2013

What is the email address for ownership experience?

diegoPasadena |
21 settembre 2013

+1 Amped, front camera would be sufficient for me.
But how would you enable it? I wouldn't want it on all the time when I drive forward. Maybe instead of activating the camera by shifting, like the reverse camera, the front camera could be activated by pressing the camera button on the top of the display.

TeslaTap.com |
21 settembre 2013

One concern with a front camera is how quickly bugs/dirt/stones will obscure the view. I suspect that's the main reason no other manufacturer does it yet. You could put a camera in the windshield, but then it's too high to see the area in front of the bumper. Perhaps if it was motorized so that it only opened up when needed and not while driving over 2-3 mph, it could work.

David Trushin |
21 settembre 2013

The easiest way to contact ownership is to go to the contact us page and fill out the email form. Just choose a topic that is close.

Paul1839 |
21 settembre 2013

Cameras on front and sides please!
Gorilla glass for the front lens?

Saxena |
21 settembre 2013

We are interested if the cost isn' t sky high, and we are already on 'the list'. Hope we get imfo soon.

nick-r |
21 settembre 2013

I would be interested in the retrofit as well.

Ddowns2050 |
21 settembre 2013

I will get the parking sensors if the price isn't outrages. I called the service center. They thought the retrofit was coming. They just didn't know when.

Sanjuro88 |
21 settembre 2013

I was really mad about missing out on the parking sensor option by a month (I ordered my model S on the 4th of July).

... but guess what, now that I got the dimension of the car, I don't really miss it. The rear camera works well, and since I have non-air suspension (so, my car sits little high), I NEVER hit or scrape the parking bumps.

A local shop (Al & Ed's) installs a 3rd party sensors for $800 each (front and/or back), but I decided to pass it up after all.

bp |
22 settembre 2013

The website claims that Tesla Service includes "necessary hardware upgrades".

The parking sensors would probably not be considered as "necessary".

Though they could offer a discount to owners who've made the commitment on 4 year or 8 year service plans.

J.T. |
22 settembre 2013

A hardware upgrade is making existing hardware better, not adding hardware where hardware hadn't been; that would be a car upgrade. There had been a problem with rear windows falling down. They upgraded the hardware to fix that problem. It was necessary.

Those who committed to the 4 year and 8 year plan already got a discount.

carlk |
22 settembre 2013

@TeslaTap.com Some cars do have headlight washer/wiper. I guess they could do the some for the front camera. Or it will just give you incentive to wash your car more often.

murraypetera |
22 settembre 2013

I would consider it for $500. Aftermarket solutions are $50 -$100 plus perhaps the same amount for install labor.

Only advantage of getting it from tesla and paying the premium is to get the integration into the car screens whis is a nice plus but no way worth $1000.

I would gladly pay $1000 - $2000 for integration of http://www.mobileye.com with break integration and adaptive cruse controle.

AmpedRealtor |
22 settembre 2013

@ murraypetera - $500 is pretty much out of the question, as that what it costs to build at the factory. To retrofit the cost would be multiples of that because new bumpers need to be ordered and shipped from Fremont. Just the bumpers will cost more than $500, plus the sensors, plus the shipping, installation and labor, etc. I'd be shocked if these things cost less than $3,000.

wcalvin |
22 settembre 2013

Surely the lower part of the nose cone would suffice for either beepers or camera.

Being able to buy an augmented nose cone ought to be possible; it's just installing it that would take some time. Looks possible to fish-tape some of the wiring harnesses.

detlefo |
22 settembre 2013

Yes I would retrofit if the price is reasonable. Also guidance lines on the rear view camera when backing are a must upgrade.

GeekEV |
22 settembre 2013

For those talking about profit for Tesla on this, do you realize that even at $1,000 retrofit the 5,000 unit figure tossed about would come to $5 million. That's not chump change. There's no real extra engineering here, just a small amount of extra labor to remove the bumpers in the first place.

Pungoteague_Dave |
22 settembre 2013

Small amount of extra labor to remove the bumpers? Not really. I have done that job on both bumpers and have a vehicle lift. It takes a couple hours each, involves fender liners, under-body panels attached to the battery, etc. And then there's the issue of wiring the whole care. This is at least a 10 hour job, or $1,000+ of labor. Add in $500 for the hardware and a charge for reprogramming, the right price is about $1,500, assuming the existing bumpers can be retrofitted by drilling. I think it is worth that price and would jump, probably up to $2k, but not more.

AmpedRealtor |
22 settembre 2013

@ GeekEV - That would be $5M in revenue, not profit. If Tesla made a profit on these things, which is debatable given Elon's "not for profit" mandate to the service centers, it would be much closer to $1M. Hardly worth doing if that's the case.

m.fawcett |
22 settembre 2013

I'd get the parking sensors if reasonably priced. Especially in the front. I've already scraped the front leading edge of the bumper. I use the rear camera when I back up.

yoohootesla |
22 settembre 2013

Sign me up as interested in a parking sensor retrofit. My 2007 Mercedes ML 350 had it and I was very happy with it. Although I've mentioned this before, it's worth repeating... the technology was on my SUV 6 yrs. ago and never let me down. Here's hoping that Tesla will make it available and possibly make it even more useful by including enough sensors to monitor cross traffic. Other vehicles have it. Why not Tesla?

ajkim26 |
22 settembre 2013

im into it!

Basjames |
22 settembre 2013

Sign me up. I would be interested in a front camera and sight lines in the rear. My MS is 3 months old I know a front bumper scrape is coming without sensors or a camera.Sensors would do in a pinch.

Robert22 |
22 settembre 2013

Soon the car will drive itself and you won't need to worry about anything.

Seriously, if you don't know where the front and back of you car begins and ends without an electronic crutch, I'd prefer you not be next to me in rush hour traffic. Learn how to drive the car if you're going to own it.